A senior official at the White House warned that if U.S. President Donald Trump does not achieve the desired outcome in trade negotiations with other countries, tariffs will be imposed on August 1. August 1 is the deadline set by President Trump for the negotiations.
Kevin Hassett, Chairperson of the White House Council of Economic Advisers, replied during an ABC broadcast interview on the 13th (local time) when asked whether the notice of tariffs on other countries is a negotiation tactic or if actual tariffs will be imposed, saying, "If the president feels that the outcome of the agreement is not good enough, tariffs will be really imposed." He added, "However, dialogue is ongoing, and we are waiting to see what happens."
Hassett said that President Trump recently announced tariff rates for countries such as the European Union (EU - mutual tariff rate of 30%), Mexico (30%), and Canada (35%) to be enforced starting from the 1st, noting that "President Trump has seen some preliminary agreements negotiated by Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick and the rest of the trade team," but added, "The president believes there should be a better agreement."
When asked about the reason President Trump notified Brazil of a higher tariff of 50% compared to other countries, Hassett explained, "The president has many grievances about the negotiations with Brazil and Brazil's (political) actions." He added, "The reason for the much higher tariff on Brazil is believed to stem from the president's dissatisfaction with former President Jair Bolsonaro."
Earlier, on the 9th, President Trump claimed that the trial of his close ally, former Brazilian President Bolsonaro, on charges of conspiracy to orchestrate a coup is "political persecution." He then notified Brazil of a reciprocal tariff rate of 50%, which is an increase of 40 percentage points from the existing mutual tariff rate of 10%.
Hassett also argued that even if President Trump imposes a 50% tariff on copper as announced, it will not increase the costs for corporations producing various products made from copper in the U.S. He stated, "Countries and individuals that are dumping (copper) into the U.S. are expected to bear most of this tariff."